Serious clinical and service failings in the UK and internationally have increased the calls for patients and the public to be engaged in healthcare to improve patient safety. These calls are now reflected in key policy statements such as ‘Patients and their carers should be present, powerful and involved at all levels of healthcare organisations from wards to the boards of Trusts’ (A promise to learn – a commitment to act: National Advisory Group on the Safety of Patients in England, 2013).

The aim of the PPI* and Diversity SIG is firstly to explore what PPI and diversity and equality means in the context of quality and safety improvement and how a broader group of patients and the public can best be involved in these activities. Secondly, as part of my Health Foundation research project on PPI and patient safety, I am interested in testing some small interventions to involve diverse groups in different areas of patient safety and quality and am keen to find people in NHS Trusts who are willing to work with me in developing these interventions.
(*PPI = Patient and Public Involvement)